Making Healthcare Understandable Since 2013
Common Sense Healthcare was founded on the belief that no patient should face a healthcare crisis alone, and no family should go bankrupt because they could not decode an insurance denial letter. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to healthcare literacy, patient advocacy, and systemic reform.
Robert "Rob" Kazinsky
JD, MPH — Executive Director
Education:
- JD, University of Denver Sturm College of Law
- MPH, Colorado School of Public Health
- BA, Political Science, CU Boulder
Credentials:
- Colorado Bar Association (Health Law)
- Former CO Division of Insurance Ombudsman
- DORA Certified Navigator Org #CNO-1094
Meet Our Founder
Robert "Rob" Kazinsky is a health policy attorney and public health professional who has spent over two decades working at the intersection of law, healthcare, and consumer protection. After earning his Juris Doctor from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and his Master of Public Health from the Colorado School of Public Health, Rob served as the Colorado Division of Insurance Ombudsman from 2008 to 2013, where he handled thousands of consumer complaints against insurance carriers and helped shape the state's implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
During his tenure as Ombudsman, Rob witnessed firsthand how patients from all walks of life struggled to understand their coverage, challenge improper denials, and navigate the labyrinthine appeals processes that insurance companies had designed to discourage legitimate claims. Many patients gave up on valid claims simply because the language was too complex, the deadlines too confusing, or the process too intimidating. The most vulnerable populations — the elderly, non-English speakers, and the working poor — were disproportionately harmed by this information asymmetry.
In 2013, Rob left his government position to found Common Sense Healthcare with a clear mission: translate the bewildering language of healthcare administration into plain English that any patient could understand and act upon. Starting with a one-room office and two volunteers, Rob built the organization into a recognized leader in Colorado patient advocacy, now employing fourteen full-time staff and coordinating with a network of twenty-five trained volunteer advocates.
Rob serves on the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative advisory board, the Denver Health Community Advisory Committee, and the National Association of Healthcare Advocacy Consultants professional standards committee. He is a regular speaker at health policy forums and has been recognized with the Colorado Public Health Association's Community Service Award and the Denver Bar Association's Pro Bono Service Citation.
Legal & Clinical Advisory Board
Our work is guided by a volunteer advisory board of experienced professionals from healthcare law, medicine, public policy, and community organizing.
Dr. Angela Reyes-Martinez, MD, MPH
Clinical Advisory Chair
Family medicine physician and faculty at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Specializes in health equity and access for underserved populations in the Denver metro area. Provides clinical oversight for our bill review accuracy standards.
Michael Chen, JD
Legal Advisory Chair
Partner at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck specializing in healthcare regulatory compliance. Former counsel to the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. Advises on No Surprises Act enforcement and ERISA preemption questions.
Terri Washington, MSW
Community Outreach Advisor
Director of community programs at the Denver Indian Center. Twenty years of experience in social services case management and multicultural community engagement. Guides our outreach strategy for reaching isolated and hard-to-reach populations.
Our Partnerships
Common Sense Healthcare collaborates with leading organizations across the state to expand our reach and effectiveness.
Colorado Consumer Health Initiative (CCHI)
As a founding member of the CCHI coalition, Common Sense Healthcare works alongside thirty-five other organizations to advocate for healthcare policy reforms at the state legislature. Our policy team contributes data from patient cases to support legislative testimony on surprise billing protections, prior authorization reform, and prescription drug pricing transparency. The CCHI partnership amplifies our individual patient-level work into systemic policy change.
Connect for Health Colorado
As a certified assistance site for Colorado's state-based health insurance marketplace, our navigators have direct access to the Connect for Health Colorado enrollment platform and receive annual training on marketplace plan changes, subsidy calculations, and Special Enrollment Period qualifying events.
Denver Health & Hospital Authority
We maintain a referral partnership with Denver Health's Patient Financial Services department, which directs patients facing complex billing situations to our advocacy team. In return, we refer patients who need emergency financial assistance to Denver Health's CICP (Colorado Indigent Care Program) and sliding-scale fee programs.
Our Core Values
Accessibility
Every service free, every document in plain language, every office wheelchair accessible.
Integrity
We never accept referral fees, commissions, or payments from insurance carriers or providers.
Empowerment
We teach patients to advocate for themselves, not create dependency on our services.
Equity
We prioritize the populations most harmed by information asymmetry in the healthcare system.